1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for printing images photographed by a portable communication apparatus provided with an imaging device.
2. Background Arts
A mobile phone provided with a camera, having an imaging function as well as functions for voice communication and data communication such as sending and receiving e-mail, has been popular recently. Such mobile phone with the camera may store images photographed by the imaging device as image data. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Number 2002-132923 discloses a method for printing image data, stored in the mobile phone with the camera, by sending them to a printing device via telecommunication network and printing them by means of the printing device.
Concerning the speed and the cost for the communication, however, it is not preferable to send image data via telecommunication network. As an example of other methods, a print system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Number 2001-309106 prints images by using a print unit of stand-alone type. In order to print images in this print unit, a user directly sends image data stored in the mobile phone with the camera to a printer, incorporated in the print unit, via wire or infrared communication and operates the printer to print images.
Nevertheless, that print system has a problem of increasing the size and the cost of the print unit, since a charging system and a cash insertion equipment must be mounted within a print unit along with devices for receiving image data and for printing them. Furthermore, the user must prepare cash in advance, as the print system requires it to be inserted in every printing.